Swan Songs of the Valkyries
by HannahSakura2010
Summary: Amelia Jones, American exchange student, finds herself the wielder of the Relic Gungnir. Together with her friends Chun Yan and Alice, wielders of Heavenend and Ichii-Bal respectively, she fights against the Noise in order to save humankind. But in the struggle she risks losing someone dear to her.


**To restate the summary, this AU takes place in the Senki Zesshou Symphogear universe and contains elements from both Season 1 and Season 2. Amelia (Nyo!America), Chun Yan (Nyo!China), and Alice (Nyo!England) will be replacing Tsubasa, Hibiki, and Chris as the main characters. However, this will not be following the same plot as Symphogear, or Symphogear G. The scenes and plot are distorted or completely different from Symphogear, and the characters crossing over from Symphogear will be mainly secondary characters like Ryoko, Dr. Ver, Ogawa, and Genjuro. This will contain spoilers from Symphogear, you have been warned.**

**If you're still with me, read on! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

"You're going!"

"I am not."

Amelia pouted at her friend in the bathroom mirror briefly before focusing her attention on her eyeliner again, making swift, paper-thin strokes to her bottom eyelid. "You're no fun."

Sakura sighed and turned the page of her textbook, making a note in her journal. "I have absolutely no desire to go to this concert."

"Why not, babe?" Amelia turned to face the room and hopped up onto the bathroom counter to observe her friend.

Sakura glanced at her. "For one, I hear Wang Chun Yan sing every day," Sakura replied. "We have choir together, remember? I am aware of her talents."

"But what about the other girl? She's a foreigner!" Amelia insisted. "She's from England!"

"You're a foreigner, and so is Chun Yan," Sakura responded, moving her attention back to her textbook. "I don't care to hear another one sing."

"So what're you saying about me, then?" Amelia asked, picking up a contact mirror and mascara.

"I can put up with you. You know I don't like Chun Yan." Sakura frowned at her notes and Amelia saw her hand clench around her pen. "I think she's spoiled and overly confident in her abilities."

Amelia frowned. "You're just saying that because she is Chinese."

"My point exactly."

Amelia sighed heavily and set aside her makeup. "You barely know her."

"I have no desire to," Sakura insisted. "I don't think you should go to this concert either, Ami-san."

Amelia grinned at her friend's nickname. As a Japanese girl, "Amelia" was difficult for Sakura to say. Amelia had settled for Sakura calling her "Ami" instead. "Just because you're prejudiced doesn't mean I can't go. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"Because you're likely to get kidnapped or something," Sakura responded. "You're such a ditz."

"Hey now, I said give me a good reason!"

Sakura put down her book and observed Amelia with calm brown eyes for a few moments. "And what about the Noise?"

Amelia couldn't suppress a shudder. The Noise were beings made of high-frequency sound. They took form in big, neon-colored shapes. They could move through walls and any kind of barrier as if it was nothing. And they could kill a human with a single touch. No one knew how the Noise killed. But whoever came into contact with one was turned to carbon ash instantly. No one had ever survived a physical encounter with the Noise. The UN had for decades been trying to find a way to kill the Noise. Guns and lasers had no effect. Swords and arrows passed right through them with no resistance. Fire and water didn't even deter them.

Kill with a touch. Unable to be killed themselves. Sakura had a valid concern.

Amelia gulped and forced her hand to stop shaking. "There hasn't been a single Noise sighting since I transferred here a year ago," she reminded her roommate, keeping her voice upbeat to hide her nervousness. She looked down at her mirror to avoid meeting Sakura's eyes. "They must be scared of me. I'm a heroine, remember?"

Sakura shook her head. "This is not an anime. And now is a perfectly good time to show up," she reminded Amelia. "There will be ten thousand people at the venue. Both of these singers are world famous, and since they are performing together the show will draw huge numbers. Hundreds of reporters will be gathered around outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of either of them. The world will be watching. What better time for the Noise to attack? The casualties would be off the charts."

Amelia pouted. "The Noise can walk through walls, right? So, I'm about as safe from them at the concert as I am holed up in the room with you." Amelia hopped off the counter and sat on the chair across from Sakura. "You're right: this is going to be huge! And I have two free tickets! Why should we let this moment pass?"

Sakura observed her friend for a few moments more. "You're not going to stop bugging me until I go, are you?" she asked, resignation in her voice. "And nothing I say can stop you from going."

"Victory for the heroine!" Amelia crowed. "Go get ready!"

Sakura shrugged and stood up. "I'm fine like this."

Amelia wrinkled her nose. "In your school uniform?" she asked.

"Yes. Now let us go get this over with, yes?"

Amelia jumped up from the chair and grabbed Sakura's hand. "Alright!" she yelled.

* * *

The roar of the crowd at Tsubasa stadium could be heard from backstage. Thousands of voices raised in one, chanted "Alice! Chun Yan!" Blurring the singers' names together, creating unity and music with their voices.

Alice couldn't think. She had finally been released from the make-up artists and the clothes designers to have a moment of peace before the biggest show of her career. The white garment covering her outfit was loose, and even in the backstage area crowded with equipment and people running to and fro in last-minute jobs Alice managed to keep cool. It would do no good to sweat her make-up off right before the show, after all.

The English singer took a deep breath through her nose and held it for a moment before slowly letting it out through her mouth. The roar of the crowd penetrated even the relative peace of her hiding spot behind a box of equipment. "Alice! Alice! Be perfect, Alice! Be the idol we wish you to be! Don't screw up! Alice!"

"You're muttering to yourself."

Alice started and glanced up. Chun Yan Wang leaned against a box of equipment and observed her singing partner for the night. Dressed in a similar white garment to keep her pristine clothes from getting messed up before the performance, her shoes clicked as she pushed herself off of the box and her clothes rustled as she lowered herself to the floor across from Alice.

Alice blushed a bit and looked away. "Bad habit," she murmured. "So they let you go early as well?"

Chun Yan nodded. "I expect they'll want to do a final check of our clothes right before we go out, so prepare yourself."

Alice nodded. "They do that in England too. They have to make sure that the little dolls look perfect, huh?"

Chun Yan sighed. "Yes, we do have to look good, do we not?" she said softly. She straightened. "But, that doesn't mean we have to be perfect. I've been singing in Japan for five years. They just want a good show. Give them that and they won't care if you make a mistake on stage."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "But the rest of the world will."

Chun Yan smiled and shook her head. "A year ago, I tripped off the stage in the middle of a song. Did you know that?"

Alice shook her head. "I didn't. And they just let it go and didn't taunt you?"

Chun Yan shrugged. "I'm human. I fall sometimes. That's what I told the reporters, and they mostly dropped it after a while, especially after they saw my next performance."

"Well, this is the biggest show either of us has ever performed, right?" Alice pointed out. "I don't think they will let it go if one of us trips this time."

"I tripped because I was trying to watch my balance," Chun Yan explained. "I tripped because I was trying to be perfect, and I found I wasn't." She gave Alice a small smile. "Don't try so hard. I'm sure you'll be fine. I've watched recordings of some of your other shows, and I've seen you during rehearsals. You'll do fine."

Alice couldn't help a small smile in return. "Alright. If you say so."

The sound of footsteps sounded close by and Alice's manager poked his head around the corner of the equipment box. "You two girls need to go to the entrance for a last check. The show starts in ten."

Chun Yan nodded and stood swiftly to her feet, white gown fluttering around her. "We'll go now." She reached out a hand to help Alice. "Come on. We've got a show to perform."

Alice glanced at the proffered hand and smiled. "Let's go dazzle everyone," she agreed, taking the hand and pulling herself to her feet.

* * *

Sakura was wrong about the number of people packed into the stadium. There had to be at least fifty thousand people packed into the arena, probably sixty or seventy thousand. And people were still steadily filing in. Amelia scooted past people sitting down until she reached their assigned seats. Bodies packed close together raised the temperature from the chilly autumn evening to summer as Amelia found herself sweating. So much for her carefully applied make-up. She plopped down into the cushioned seat and grinned as Sakura gingerly took the seat next to her.

"Well, this is exciting!" she told her friend as she listened to the chants of "Alice!" and "Chun Yan!" rise to the night sky. The open-aired venue was massive, and packed to the brim. Through the hole in the ceiling, she could see two tiny stars, bright enough to shine through the lit stadium.

"This looks like one of those Roman theatres!" Amelia yelled to Sakura over the roar. The raised seating leading down to the stage set facing the audience was broken only by a raised walkway for the singers to use. A mosh pit gathered on either side of the walkway. Thousands of glow sticks shone in the darkness like red and green stars.

Feeling light-headed with excitement, Amelia practically bounced in her seat as she checked her watch. "Five minutes until nine!" she crowed. "Almost time!"

Sakura was almost slumped over in her seat, clutching her purse and shooting wary glances from side to side. She suddenly waved to someone and Amelia turned to see two girls she dimly recognized waving back.

"Do they go to Lydian?" she asked.

"Elisa is in our cooking class," Sakura informed her with an unimpressed look.

"Oh. Is she that little Italian girl?" Amelia shot the two girls another glance. The grinning brunette did look familiar, but she couldn't remember seeing the stoic blonde anywhere before. "Who's the other one?"

"Monika, and she's a freshman," Sakura explained. "I have two classes with her."

"Oh," Amelia replied as she waved to the girls. Elisa waved ecstatically back, but Monika just looked awkward and uncomfortable. "Where is she from?"

"Germany."

"That explains it," Amelia murmured and ignored Sakura's questioning look. At that moment, the lights dimmed to nothing, and the only lighting in the arena was from the glowsticks. The crowd let out a cheer as two spotlights focused on the stage. Amelia squealed. "It's starting!"

Music started playing as two distant figures rose from platforms underneath the stage. Enormous screens lit up overhead, showing Chun Yan's and Alice's grinning faces five stories high. Both were waving amid deafening cheers. Both wore red dresses with orange and yellow accents, although Chun Yan's had a Mandarin collar and Alice looked like something of a Victorian noble woman in her lace and frills.

Alice stepped forward. "Is everyone having fun?" she called into the microphone. The responding cheer left Amelia's ears ringing. Then they started to sing.

_*Whooo...Cold moon... Blue shine... __  
__Tonight is the night that the world __  
__Becomes one. Let it reach, let it come true. __  
__Now... Let's begin._

Ready, go…

"FLY!" Amelia screamed along with tens of thousands of others.

The singers moved in perfect unison, the dance fluid, voices mingling into one.

_I cannot give up this strong feeling. __  
__This endless, strong, feeling. __  
__I won't lose to anyone with this immortal melody. __  
__Shine, my true heart!_

Chun Yan's voice sang out loud and clear, "_This is the beating heart that weaved the life that dripped from my hands._"

Alice's higher vice followed, "_What does the moonlight that shined down ask those that were left behind?_"

Twirling her microphone, fashioned into a golden staff with a dragon curling up its length, Chun Yan sang, "_Sheathe your sadness into a sword_." She turned and held out a hand to Alice.

"_Into a blade, in the name of justice_," gripping her own staff with roses engraved, Alice held out her own hand towards Chun Yan, fingers inches apart.

"_The flame of my soul_," Chun Yan began.

"_Will never disappear again!_" Alice finished. The girls grasped hands and slowly started circling each other as both sang out, "_Now, burn bright!_"

Twirling to face the crowd, the girls banged their staffs on the floor in unison and whispered "Ignition." The single word echoed around the stadium as the wall behind them unfurled into wings that flashed neon colors. Flames shot up from the stage around them as the girls ran down the walkway holding hands. The flames reflected off of sequins in their dresses, giving the image of flame.

"_Burn, destiny does not exist_!" Chun Yan sang.

"_Fly, ripping off your past!_" Alice commanded, blonde pigtails streaming behind her like tails of flame.

_Go, hotly, fly to each other! __  
__Echoing to each other, playing to each other, our bonds!_

_Yes, grip your tears. __  
__Grip everything you've held on your back._

_Now won't you make those immortal dreams into your wings, __  
__And fly together with us to the future we wish for? __  
__Burn the heavens. __  
__Sing, this Phoenix song!_

Singing in unison, gripping hands tightly, the two singers raised their hands to the heavens and then slammed their staffs on the ground again with a resounding boom. Fireworks went off on the stage behind them as the cameras zoomed in on their beaming faces. Amelia screamed along with the rest and turned to Sakura.

The Japanese girl was looking behind her at Monika and Elisa. She caught Amelia's glance and gave a small smile. "I'm glad you're having fun."

"Come on, that was cool!"

"It certainly was different."

"You liked it!" Amelia laughed and turned back to the stage. Chun Yan and Alice were waving to the crowd and beaming from ear to ear. Amelia was watching Alice's face as she lifted the microphone to her lips and suddenly paused, the smile fading. Her green eyes got wide and her mouth fell open as the screaming filling the stadium turned into a different kind of screaming. Screams of terror.

As if in a dream, Amelia looked down at the ground level of the stadium. Time seemed to stand still and the screams grew faint until they faded into the background. In slow motion, she watched as the first neon colored mass rammed into a group of onlookers. In the blink of an eye, they dissolved into ash. The Noise had come.

She couldn't move. Someone was yanking on her arm, but she couldn't move. Someone smashed into her, knocking her down before Sakura pulled her up again with strength Amelia didn't know the smaller girl possessed. She dimly registered being dragged to the aisles and she muttered, "You have to go down to get out." Then, another person rammed into her, knocking her back into the seats. She fell down a row and her head rebounded off a leather seat. Vision blurring, she stood to her feet. The crowd whisked Sakura away from her as panicked people raced towards the exit. Abruptly, the screams came back, deafening. On the ground, Noise were attacking. One girl struggled to throw off one the slithered on top of her, even as her arms turned to ash. A boy was shoved from the panicked river making its way to the exit to land on top of a neon pink blob. He dissolved instantly.

Amelia jerked to her feet and started jumping down rows of seats, avoiding the chaotic rush of panicked civilians. Sakura was nowhere to be seen. She reached an exit right behind a middle-aged man. He ran towards the door, but a green Noise materialized in front of him and he ran straight into it. Amelia stumbled back and took to the seats again, jumping from row to row. No escape that way.

"Go behind the stage; there is an exit back there!" a voice was saying. It took Amelia a moment to realize that Chun Yan was talking to Alice. The microphones were still on, and the girl's voice echoed through the stadium, but no one paid her any heed. Although most of the crowd of people had escaped, more Noise had materialized and were attacking groups of stragglers. People were dying by the dozens. Wind blew ash into Amelia's face and she choked, realized what it was, and gagged. Her throat convulsed and she held down vomit with difficulty. Now was not the time to be sick.

Still feeling as if she were in a dream, she was snapped to attention by a single voice singing.

"Ame no habakiri!"

Again, her attention was drawn to the stage. Alice stood alone. Chun Yan had jumped out over the mess of Noise. She seemed to glow. The light grew brighter until Amelia had to blink, and then faded.

Chun Yan landed in the midst of the Noise, wearing not her beautiful red dress, but a skintight blue and white suit. She had some kind of headgear on and was carrying a sword. A melody filled the air, and Amelia realized that Chun Yan was singing.

_**The first blade: like the fastest wind; faster than lightening._

Chun Yan sank into a fighting stance, focusing on the group of noise.

_The second blade: like a forest in an empty field. _

So fast she was just a blur, Chun Yan launched herself at the nearest Noise, and before Amelia could cry out in shock at her action, Chun Yan ran it through with her blade. Amelia watched in disbelief as the Noise turned gray and then dissolved. In a silver blur, Chun Yan whirled and attacked the other Noise.

_If you fear the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons_

_You're a premature water-mirror_

Gray ash blew in the wind as Noise after Noise fell victim to the flashing blade. Amelia hardly noticed herself walking down the stairs, gaze fixated solely on Chun Yan.

_If I don't do it, someone else will_

_Awaken, unparralled blue that breaks the evil!_

Swinging her sword in a loop, Chun Yan brought it down on a Noise; as it dissolved, blue streaks fell from the heavens like rain, taking out every Noise they touched. Chun Yan spun in a roundhouse kick and blades came out of the boots she wore, slicing right through a giant purple Noise as if through butter.

_Thousands, tens of thousands, billions of lives_

_I grip and wield all of it!_

Something slammed into Amelia as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Her gaze was ripped from Chun Yan as she screamed in fear. It was a girl. A familiar-looking girl in a red Victorian-style dress. She was crying and there was a look of pure fear on her face.

"Why are you just standing here? Alice Kirkland screamed, shaking Amelia hard. "We've got to go, now!"

Amelia looked over Alice's shoulder and saw several Noise coming towards them. Suddenly, her mind focused, and she grabbed a hold of Alice's hand and yanked her towards the exit.

"There's an exit backstage!" Alice yelled.

"I don't feel like going through that wad of Noise, do you?" Amelia yelled back at her. Heart pounding and palms sweating, Amelia sped up towards the tunnel leading outside. It was their only chance of escaping. And suddenly, the Noise were there.

Amelia screeched to a halt and backpedaled a few paces. Alice moaned in fear, tears and sweat streaking through her carefully applied makeup. Her eyes were a brilliant green, lit up by terror.

Amelia turned around and dashed away from the advancing Noise. "This way!"

"We're going to die," Alice wailed. "We're going to die!"

And Amelia believed her. A huge purple Noise with green, grape-like orbs across its back blocked their path. More Noise were behind them. They were hemmed in. Amelia dimly registered Alice's nails digging into her skin. All she could focus on was the giant making its way towards them. Up close, the Noise were much, much larger than she had seen in pictures. The smallest one was the size of a horse. There was no escape. Amelia clutched Alice's hand in her left hand and balled her right into a fist, even though she knew it was useless; she would be ash before long.

_Sakura was right, _she thought, looking up at her death looming over her.

_A fash of breaking that freezes even that back_

_Do you have the resolve to fall?_

A huge silver sword fell from the heavens, crushing the purple Noise in front of Amelia. More blue rain fell, and the surrounding Noise dissolved. Amelia looked up to the top of the sword in time to see Chun Yan jump and land in front of her.

"Why are you two still here?" she yelled. "You need to leave!"

"Noise have blocked the exit!" Alice wailed. "We can't escape!"

Chun Yan glanced at the tunnel leading outside and then met Amelia's eyes. "Follow close behind me. I'll get you out."

Amelia nodded solemnly and tightened her grip on Alice. "Let's go."

Chun Yan turned toward the opening and raised her sword, slashing through an approaching Noise. All three girls made a break for the exit, Chun Yan leading the way and cutting down any Noise that stood in the way.

_Tonight's night sky, together with the blade_

_That resembles a crescent, is fragrant._

Continuing her song, Chun Yan cleared the opening to the tunnel and led the way into the semi-darkness. In the distance, Amelia could see the glow of streetlights. They were almost there!

The biggest Noise yet appeared at the end of the tunnel. Amelia felt Alice slowing and tugged her forward.

"Don't stop!" Chun Yan yelled from the front. Readying her sword, she charged ahead, straight at the Noise.

_Now, by the flame of my sword…_

_DISAPPEAR! _

With one final yell, Chun Yan ran straight through the Noise, which dissolved around her sword. The way was clear.

* * *

In the arena, all the Noise had followed Chun Yan and the two girls outside. None of the three girls noticed the three figures lurking in the topmost row of seats.

"So that is a Symphogear," the tallest murmured. "I'm actually impressed."

"Don't be. That girl is nothing special," the shortest replied. "I can fight better than her."

"Well, she did a good job protecting those other two," the third figure pointed out. "She managed to fight her way out while protecting two civilians. I'm impressed as well."

The shorter figure sighed. "Well, we've seen how it works. Tell Ver to recall the Noise. We've gotten what we need from tonight."

"Now to find out where they keep the other Relics," the tall figure said. Blue eyes glinted in the dim lights of the arena. "It will only be a matter of time before we have this heretical technology for ourselves."

* * *

Amelia and Alice followed Chun Yan out into the fresh air of the night. Several police cars were parked, lights flashing, near the entrance. There seemed to be a great crowd of people gathered. Men and women in suits stared as Chun Yan lead the other two girls out of the tunnel. Chun Yan stopped and turned back towards the entrance. Amelia looked back to find a crowd of Noise gathered. Chun Yan started towards them, but as suddenly as they appeared, the Noise blinked out into nothing.

Chun Yan froze and glanced back over her shoulder. "Genjuro?"

"They're gone," a man's deep voice called, sounding shocked. "The wavelengths have vanished."

Amelia looked around and saw a huge man approaching them. He had a mane of black hair reaching to his shoulders. His arms, bare even in the chilly night air, bulged with muscles. He was staring at herself and Alice with interest, but spoke to Chun Yan. "Change back before someone else sees you."

Amelia turned to look at Chun Yan. With a blue flash, Chun Yan was wearing her red dress again. She looked past Amelia and Alice at the lion of a man.

"That's the first time they've just disappeared like that," Chun Yan said, walking up to the man. "I'm uneasy, Genjuro."

"If we sense Noise wavelengths again, you'll be ready," he replied, giving Chun Yan only a small glance before looking back at Amelia and Alice. "Are you two alright?"

Amelia nodded, and she felt Alice withdraw her hand from Amelia's. Then Alice stepped up to Chun Yan. For a moment, the two girls stared at each other, Alice is an unreadable expression and Chun Yan with resignation. Suddenly, Alice grabbed Chun Yan's shoulders and started violently shaking the shorter girl.

"What the devil was that?" she shrieked. "What did you do? How could you kill those-those-things like that?"

Chun Yan made no move to throw Alice off, so Amelia pulled the British girl back. "Hey! She saved our lives!" Amelia reminded Alice. "Be grateful!"

Alice didn't seem to be listening. "Are you a witch or something? What power did you use in there?" she was looking at Chun Yan as if the Chinese girl had horns growing from her forehead.

A hurt expression flitted across Chun Yan's face, but it was gone and replaced with an unreadable expression so fast that Amelia might have imagined it. "I am a witch," she said calmly.

"No, she isn't," the big man spoke up. "If the two of you will come with me, I can explain everything."

"AMI-CHAN!"

Amelia jumped as someone screamed her name. She looked around and spotted Sakura struggling with some people in suits. Her German friend was right behind her, trying to push the men in suits off of Sakura. Elisa stood a bit to the side and watched Amelia, looking worried.

"That's my friend," Amelia explained to Genjuro. "Can you let her through?"

Genjuro nodded. "But not a word to her about what you saw. This is classified. Understand?" When Amelia nodded, Genjuro raised his hand and beckoned for the men to let Sakura come through.

Once the men in suits let her go, the small Japanese girl sped over to Amelia and grabbed her arm. "Are you alright?" she gasped. "When we got separated, I couldn't get back to you!" Amelia could see tears in her friend's eyes, uncommon for such a stoic girl. "I thought you were dead!"

Amelia winced. "I'm sorry. I got stuck in the arena, but I'm alright now. She nodded towards Chun Yan and Alice, who were standing a ways apart and not looking at each other. Alice was visibly trembling and she hugged herself tightly. "Chun Yan and Alice were stuck too, but we managed to get to the tunnel leading out here and escaped."

"I know you're worried about your friend, Miss…" Genjuro started, prompting Sakura to give him her name.

"Honda," Sakura said, a bit curtly. Amelia felt another hand on her arm and looked to her left to see Elisa standing beside her. The little Italian's brown eyes were wide, but she was obviously trying to be comforting as she rubbed Amelia's arm lightly. Monika stood a little ways off, watching the proceedings.

"I know you're worried, Miss Honda," Genjuro said. "But I have to borrow your friend for a little while."

Sakura tensed up. "She's had a shock," Sakura growled. "She should come home now. She has friends who will walk her home."

"I'm sure this will not take a long time," Chun Yan piped up. Alice glanced at her quickly and looked away. "I will walk her home personally."

"I said, she needs _friends_ to walk her home," Sakura insisted, shooting a scathing glare at the Chinese girl. "I don't trust you. You probably attract Noise, or something. Do you know how many people died because of this stupid concert?"

Chun Yan's golden eyes widened and Alice let out a little cry. Both girls seemed speechless.

"It's not their fault, Sakura!" Amelia cried. "They didn't attract the Noise! You were right when you talked about the number of people here: they were probably attracted to that."

Sakura looked at Amelia and then to Elisa. "I misspoke," she said softly. Sakura lowered herself into a bow to Alice. "I apologize. I almost died tonight, and I thought my friend was dead. I'm not myself, right now."

Alice didn't acknowledge her, but Chun Yan nodded without saying anything. Alice was still shaking.

"By your uniform, you girls go to Lydian, is that correct?" Genjuro asked. When Sakura tensely nodded, he continued, "The place we will take them is not too far from Lydian. Your friend will be close by, and we should be done before long. This is mainly just a checkup to make sure she is alright after that shock, and the police need her version of events for the report, of course." Genjuro laid a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "She'll be in good hands."

Sakura looked around and met eyes with Monika. The blonde shrugged her shoulders. "We should go," she said, the first words Amelia had heard her speak. She spoke English with a German accent. "They'll deliver her safely."

Sakura sighed and turned back to Amelia. "I'll wait up for you, Ami-chan," she murmured.

Amelia shook her head. "You don't have to stress yourself. I'm fine!"

"I want to," Sakura insisted. "I'll see you back at the dorms."

Amelia nodded and watched her friend leave. Elisa and Monika followed close behind. Amelia saw Elisa take Sakura's hand before the crowd of people swallowed the small group.

"And now, I really must ask all three of you to some with me," Genjuro said once they were gone.

Alice whirled around. "I'm not going anywhere!" she yelled. "You mean to kill us, don't you?"

Genjuro laughed. "No, Miss Alice, I am not going to kill you."

"We've seen too much!" Alice gasped. "We've seen your secret," Alice pointed at Chun Yan, "and now you mean to silence us!"

"If we wanted you dead, I would have left you in that theatre with the Noise," Chun Yan said quietly. "We do not want you dead, but we do need you to keep silent about it."

Alice shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Well, that is a problem, then," Genjuro said. "You see, we work for the government," he flashed a badge at Alice and Amelia. "You will have to come with us."

Amelia felt a timid tap on her shoulder. "Here; have something hot," a woman with cropped blue hair told her, offering a cup of something that steamed. "You've had a shock."

Amelia took it gratefully. "Thanks."

The woman nodded politely and offered Alice another cup, but the blonde shrank away from her.

"Let's get this over with," Genjuro ordered. He put a big hand on Alice's shoulder. "You will not be harmed, but I would hate to have to arrest such a pretty young woman. It would be bad for your image."

Alice closed her eyes tightly for a minute and rubbed her temples, but eventually nodded her consent.

* * *

They were whisked away in a black van with tinted windows and leather seating. The ride was smooth and surprisingly short. They ended up, of all places, at Lydian University. Amelia watched as the ivy-laden columns and latticework of the University main building got closer and closer. Before she could ask a question, the van turned to the left and they entered the campus not through the main gate, but followed a small, winding road that Amelia knew was used for transporting goods to the cafeteria and the dorms. The car was completely silent. Alice and Chun Yan sat beside each other, still in their concert gear, looking away from each other. Amelia sat in the very back row in between the woman with blue hair who had given her the hot drink, which turned out to be hot chocolate and a man who wore the same uniform as she did. The woman had been introduced as Aoi Tomosato, and the man as Sakuya Fujitaka. They had mentioned that they worked for Genjuro, but they hadn't said what exactly what their jobs were.

The van turned into a small, private parking lot blocked by a gate, which opened when Genjuro, in the driver's seat, flashed his badge at a scanner. Genjuro parked the van and opened the door for Alice, who ignored his outstretched hand and flounced out past him. She stood off to the side, clearly still uncomfortable and unsure as of what she should do. Amelia slid between the seats and followed the blonde out as Chun Yan slid gracefully out of the other side of the van.

Amelia hopped to the ground and stared in the direction of the school. They were a little ways behind the cafeteria, which was connected to the dorms. It was past curfew now, so Amelia knew there wouldn't be any students in the halls. Students had to get special permission to be out this late. Once Fujitaka and Tomosato had exited the van, the small group surrounded Alice and Amelia, as if concerned the girls would make a break for it. Chun Yan took a place beside Genjuro.

The group started off in the direction of the school's main building, now completely dark. Genjuro used a key to get in, and Amelia found herself in a part of the building she had never been in before. It was like a backstage area, containing boxes of lighting and sound equipment. She decided they must be behind the theatre area on the bottom floor of the building. They took a right and crossed to a door leading to the hallway running beside the theatre and came into a lighted room with no windows. Further on, Amelia knew, would be the grand entrance to the theatre and the stairs to the myriad of classrooms on the upper floors.

A man with mousy brown hair and glasses was waiting beside the faculty elevator. Students were not allowed to use the school elevators unless directed by a faculty member. The man grinned and nodded to Genjuro. "Evening, Commander."

Beside Amelia, Alice stiffened. "Mr. Ogawa?" she asked, the first words she had said since leaving Tsubasa Stadium.

Ogawa nodded to her. "Hello, Miss Kirkland," he said politely. "I'm sorry about all of this."

"You are in on this too?" Alice asked in a small voice.

"Well, I am Chun Yan's manager," Ogawa replied. "Of course, I have to know about her schedule." He turned to Amelia and held out a hand. "And you are?"

"Amelia Jones," she replied. "I'm not really sure what's going on, to be honest." She turned to Genjuro. "Why are we at the school?"

"Because this is the headquarters of the 2nd Division Mobile Disaster Response Corps," Genjuro told her.

"And what's that?" Amelia asked, even more confused.

"We make it our business to track and respond to every Noise attack," Genjuro continued. "Every time the Noise appear, our scanners pick up the unique high frequency that they omit. We then send out the evacuation order for the people in the area and send in the response team, consisting of Chun Yan here."

Chun Yan nodded at her name but said nothing. Her face remained impassive, but Amelia could see her hands shaking a bit.

"In the case of tonight, though, the Noise appeared too suddenly to issue the evacuation order, but luckily Chun Yan was already at the scene, of course." Genjuro beckoned to the elevator. "There are more hot drinks down in the headquarters, and I will finish my explanation there. If you don't mind, I can take the girls down first, and then Ogawa and the rest can follow." He took a key card out of his pocket and scanned it through the card reader. The doors of the elevator slid open with a rush of air. The interior of the elevator was illuminated by soft blue lighting. Chun Yan went in first, then Amelia. Reluctantly, as if being dragged against her will, Alice shuffled in behind Amelia.

Amelia put a hand on the girl's shaking shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure it will be alright," she cooed, trying for a soothing voice.

Alice jumped as if burned and moved out of Amelia's reach. "Don't touch me!" she snapped.

Amelia withdrew her hand. "Well, fine, then," she snapped back. "I was only trying to be nice."

"Miss Alice has had a long night, and it isn't over yet," Chun Yan intoned almost robotically as Genjuro squeezed into the elevator and fiddled with the controls. Form her position, Amelia couldn't see what he was doing, but the elevator began a rapid descent, prompting both Amelia and Alice to grab the railing. Alice's hand brushed Amelia's, but she seemed not to notice. Her green eyes were wide and she whimpered a bit.

Amelia hadn't noticed it at first, but the elevator had glass walls. Once they were below the school, the blue light was replaced by a myriad of colors as the elevator descended down what appeared to be a long kaleidoscope. Every color seemed to have a place in the color spectrum painted on the walls in shapes that seemed to follow no pattern. It took almost thirty seconds for the elevator to pass the colorful shaft. It was replaced with dull blue light again as it slowed down to a halt. The doors hissed open.

They were in a clean, brightly lit reception area with a dark haired woman behind a desk. She nodded to Genjuro in greeting and then eyed the two newcomers with interest. Chun Yan turned to Amelia.

"Can I get either of you anything to drink?" she asked.

"I'm okay, thanks," Amelia responded. Chun Yan nodded and turned to Alice, who requested water in a small voice.

Genjuro was speaking to the woman behind the desk quietly, but he straightened up and ordered "Follow me, girls."

Alice still hesitated, but followed after Amelia as Genjuro lead them to another room off to the side. The new room looked like a hospital waiting room, complete with couches surrounding coffee tables bearing newspapers. The one closest to Amelia sported a headline in bold letters about the concert she had just left. Alice also noticed it and let out a little groan.

"Sit down, girls," Genjuro said gently.

Amelia sank down on one of the couches. The cushions were soft and she relaxed a bit. Alice sank down beside her, sitting stiff as a board. Genjuro took a seat on the couch across from them, the newspaper about the concert sitting dead in between them. Chun Yan appeared out of nowhere with a glass of water, which she handed to Alice.

"I brought one for you, as well," she told Amelia, "in case you want it."

"Oh! Thank you!" Amelia grinned and took the cool glass from her. Chun Yan then sat down on the couch adjacent to Amelia.

"Now, I'm sure everyone here is exhausted, so I would like to explain everything without interruption. I will take questions afterword," Genjuro started.

"It sounds like you're giving a lecture," Amelia giggled.

Alice suddenly shot her a glare. "Are you not concerned?" she hissed. "Is this a joke to you?"

Amelia raised her eyebrows. "I'm trying to cope, okay?" she snapped. "We almost died tonight! I'm trying my best!"

"I'm sure you are," Genjuro said kindly. "I would like to explain what you saw tonight, and get your side of the events that took place in Tsubasa Stadium, if you don't mind."

Amelia nodded and beckoned for him to talk.

Genjuro took a deep breath. "As you know, for centuries, mankind has been plagued by a menace we in modern times simply call the Noise. They are non-sentient beings whose only purpose seems to be to kill. The Noise have been called many different things by different people throughout the ages. It is believed, through the studies of myths and legends, that the Noise are a curse generated by human greed and the desire to kill one another. Mankind has also searched for a way to kill the Noise, or to get rid of them all together. They have, as of yet, been unsuccessful. It seems as long as people try to kill each other, the Noise will never disappear.

"What you saw tonight no doubt shocked you," Genjuro continued. "The world still believes that the Noise cannot be killed. The UN still openly tries to figure out ways to destroy the Noise. It has only been in the last few decades that the scientists here in Japan have found a viable way."

Genjuro looked to Chun Yan and nodded. Chun Yan leaned forward towards the other two girls, reached into her dress, and pulled out a red stone on a necklace. The gem was simple, and looked old.

"This is a fragment from an ancient Relic found at an archaeological site in northern China," Genjuro explained. "It is the only piece found. It was sent to Japan for analysis, and it is here that we discovered that it is a piece of an ancient weapon that, when in contact with a certain frequency of sound, can give the bearer power to kill the Noise." Genjuro paused to let the statement sink in. "This Relic is from a weapon called 'Heavenrend.' Five years ago, Chun Yan here sang a concert at a small venue. I was there. She was still gaining popularity as a singer internationally, and when I heard her song, I got a call from headquarters. They had been listening to her singing as well. Heavenrend had activated! It had responded to Chun Yan's singing.

"Of course, I approached her after the concert and took her to headquarters. She had already had some experience fighting. She is already a quite talented martial artist. She sang again, and Heavenrend activated yet again. She then agreed to change managers and move to Japan to continue her career and to learn how to fight the Noise."

"You make it sound like I was initially willing," Chun Yan murmured. "It was that or be forced to never leave the country. I left my family for this."

"And the world is much safer with you fighting the Noise," Genjuro replied. "You may have fought us at first, but you have excelled beyond our wildest dreams."

"How do these Relics work?" Amelia asked. "How do they kill the Noise?"

"The Relics activate with a certain frequency of sound, in short, music," Genjuro continued. "Chun Yan's singing activated Heavenrend. Once activated, the Relic fuses with her body and protects her and gives her a weapon with which to fight. We do not know for sure how the Relics destroy the Noise, but the Noise are certainly weak against Relic wielders."

"So, you've been alone in this for five years?" Amelia addressed Chun Yan.

The Chinese girl nodded. "If it saves people, I will do what I must," she replied simply.

"But it sounds so lonely, you fighting all alone," Amelia murmured.

Chun Yan simply shrugged.

"So what happens now?" Alice asked. "Why did you bring us down here?"

Genjuro turned to the door and beckoned someone inside. Ogawa entered with two clip boards. "Amelia and Alice, we will have to ask you to sign an agreement not to speak about what you have seen tonight. This information cannot fall into the wrong hands."

Alice shook her head. "I'm not signing anything," she said, "until my agent can look at it."

"Your agent cannot know what happened here," Genjuro told her. "It is imperative that we keep the people who know about the Relics to a minimum."

"Oh, yes, why share the information that can save lives?" Alice hissed. "Other places are being attacked by the Noise, and yet you sit here in Tokyo and keep life-saving technology to yourselves! How selfish!"

"We are still learning about the Noise," Genjuro told her. "And so far, only one Relic has been activated." Genjuro glanced at Ogawa, who kept a blank face.

"So there are more of those Relics?" Alice pointed at Chun Yan. "You have more?"

"Yes, there are many more Relics out there. Some haven't been unearthed yet," Genjuro replied. "But only one has been activated."

"The why not share what you have?" Alice cried. "The rest of the world needs this too!"

"I suspect that more people already know about this technology," Genjuro told her. "The Americans certainly seem interested. They have threatened us with sanctions if we do not share the technology with them." Genjuro paused and glanced at Amelia as though she might be offended. "And by 'share' of course I mean hand over everything we have to them, including Chun Yan." Genjuro looked away from Amelia. "We have held them at bay so far. I don't want to give the Americans the only weapon that we have. But I suspect many countries are already aware of the Relics. It will only be a matter of time before more Symphogear users appear."

"Symphogear?" Amelia asked. "What is that?"

"That is what we call people like Chun Yan," Ogawa explained. "Symphogear users are people who control the Relics and use them to fight the Noise. So far, Chun Yan is the only one we know about."

"You must be so lonely," Amelia repeated. "And you're so young." She straightened up and looked directly into Genjuro's brown eyes. "I want to help."

Beside Amelia, Alice sputtered and Chun Yan raised a thin eyebrow. "That is not wise."

"You'd be putting your life in danger," Genjuro told her, scrutinizing her. "This is extremely dangerous work."

"But if there is something I can do, then I will do it!" Amelia said eagerly. "Like Chun Yan said!" She grinned at the Chinese girl, who looked away.

"I will consider your offer, but I cannot promise anything," Genjuro smiled.

"Do what you want; I'll have no part of it!" Alice snapped. She stared at the clipboards on the table. "And I'm not signing anything."

"Then you will not leave this room," Genjuro said sternly. "I know you're scared. This statement is just confirming that you will not talk about what I have told you. If you do, you will be treated as a spy."

Alice squeaked again at the statement, but picked up one clipboard with shaking hands, green eyes scanning the lines of print. Amelia picked up the other clipboard. The statements were just as Genjuro said. Amelia signed her name at the bottom, and looked over to see Alice doing the same.

Ogawa took the clipboards from them with a huge smile. "You two are free to go. You were both so brave tonight."

Alice huffed and stood to her feet.

Amelia mirrored her movements but reached out to shake Genjuro's hand. "I hope you will consider my offer," she said.

"I will," Genjuro assured her.

Amelia turned to Chun Yan and offered her hand. "Thank you for saving me tonight."

Chun Yan took Amelia's hand and shook it. "I'm glad you are alright." She turned to Alice. "You know how to contact me should you ever want to perform with me again. I am sorry for the way things turned out."

Alice nodded stiffly and brushed past Amelia and Chun Yan on her way to the elevator.

"I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow," Amelia grinned at Chun Yan.

The Chinese girl replied, "Take a day off and consider closely your offer to join with us. You will never live a normal life again after getting involved with the 2nd Division." With that, Chun Yan turned and walked from the room, leaving Amelia to stare after her.

* * *

The clock showed 1 am when Amelia walked into her dorm room. The lights were on, and she heard several people talking. The conversation stopped abruptly when she entered the room. Sakura's friends Monika and Elisa were sitting with her on the couch. All three stared at Amelia as she entered the room.

"What did they want?" Sakura asked immediately. "Where did they take you?"

Amelia grinned. "Nice to see you too," she teased. When Sakura glared at her, she sighed. "They did a checkup on me and asked my version of events," she recited the story they had agreed on. "They did the same with the other two, then they escorted us back here."

"And that's all?" Sakura asked. "They looked like government agents to me."

"They just wanted t know what went on. I think they worked for the police or something," Amelia said. "You didn't have to wait up for me."

"I wanted to make sure you got back safely," Sakura said.

"Well, thank you, and thanks to you as well," she addressed Monika and Elisa. Elisa grinned and Monika nodded.

"We had to make sure you got back safely," Elisa said brightly. "It was the least we could do." The Italian stretched. "But now, I think we will go to bed. It's late, and there is school tomorrow."

"Thank you," Amelia said again as the two girls left.

Sakura was still staring at her, and Amelia shifted under her gaze. "I'm going to change," she said, walking over to the closet.

"Are you really alright, Ami-chan?"

Amelia looked over her shoulder. "Sakura was biting her lower lip. "You're really not hurt?"

"I'm fine," Amelia assured her. "Just shaken. I want to go to bed."

Sakura frowned. "I'm here if you need to talk."

Amelia grinned. "Thanks." She looked at the clock. "I'm going to take tomorrow off. I deserve it," she said. Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm taking a bath, so you go on to bed, okay?"

Sakura gazed at her for another minute. "Alright," she finally said.

Amelia closed the bathroom door behind her, a bit uneasy. There had been something in Sakura's gaze, something that made Amelia think she knew more than she was letting on. Shaking her head, she started the water in the tub and tried not to think of the Noise as she slipped into the hot water. But an image of Chun Yan appeared in her mind. She hoped the Chinese girl was alright. Amelia sat up straight in the tub. "I'll make sure she's not alone in this anymore," she whispered.

* * *

*Lyrics are from the song "Phoenix Flame" from Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. Translated English lyrics taken from www. animelyrics anime /symphogearg/ fushichou no furanme. htm [remove the spaces]

**Lyrics are from Tsubasa's battle song "Gekko no Ken" from Senki Zesshou Symphogear G. Translated English lyrics taken from theotherice. wordpress 2013 /11/16/ gekkou-no-ken-translation/ [remove the spaces]

* * *

**Angel Longstring and I recently became obsessed with Senki Zesshou Symphogear and this is what came of it. I have so many fics that I need to finish, so of course it makes perfect sense for me to start this one too! *shot* **


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